Not that there was any doubt about the ulterior motives behind NBC's "Green Week," but we didn't expect the Peacock Network to be quite this brazen. This morning on MSNBC, an NBC environmental "correspondent," who as you'll see has an impressive resume as a left-wing activist, openly urged viewers [on the eve of Election Day] to vote for politicians with an environmentalist agenda.
Video (2:18): Real (1.70 MB) and Windows Media (1.42), plus MP3 audio (1.04).
Meterologist Jackie Meretsky was in NYC, reporting live 67 stories up at the "Top of the [NBC] Rock," overlooking Central Park. At 10:12 AM ET, she interviewed Simran Sethi [shown on the right], whom she described as the "brand new environmental correspondent for NBC" and "the greenest person in the organization."
JACKIE MERETSKY: What's your first story [for NBC]?
SIMRAN SETHI: Actually it's for CNBC. I'm key-noting the green conference and I'll do a story on the way green is permeating every aspect of our lives whether it's food or fashion or weather or business. We're understanding that we need to become more environmentally friendly. We have a finite amount of resources and we need to look how our consumption factors into climate change.
MERESTKSY: You can't deny that. Going green, it's something you hear all of the time. How do you get people to act on it?
SETHI: I think what people need to realize is that all environmental issues are local. We have so many opportunities in this day and age to get involved. If what you care about is food, look at local organic food. If you are a fashionista, renewable fibers like bamboo or cotton shirts. Look at hybrid technology. There is room for everyone. And no matter what you are interested in, every person can vote and make sure that in this election, that we really hold our politicians to task and make sure they are bringing this onto their agendas as well.
Sethi went on to get giddy about having had the opportunity to interview Al Gore. You know Al. The guy who complains there's too much balance in the MSM's environmental reporting.
So who is Simran Sethi? The picture that emerges from this bio of the person who NBC chose as its environmental "correspondent" is that of left-wing activist [emphasis added].
Simran Sethi is an award-winning journalist who reports on issues of economic sustainability, environmental stewardship, and social justice. She is a contributing author to Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy, the companion guide to the PBS series Ethical Markets. Sethi is the host and writer of Sundance Channel's program The Green and is a commentator and consultant for its series Big Ideas for a Small Planet.
She hosts a weekly environmental podcast for TreeHugger.com, the largest environmental website on the internet. Lauded in Vanity Fair's green issue as the environmental “messenger,” Simran recently hosted a forum with Al Gore for MSN.com and has created an audio podcast series for Gore’s non-profit The Alliance for Climate Protection. Sethi has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and the Martha Stewart Show, highlighting ways citizens can become more environmentally friendly.
She is the “eco-expert” on the syndicated green home makeover show The EcoZone Project and is the host of Voom HD Network's social series Keep It Green. Simran anchored the news for MTV Asia, created the MTV India news division, and developed programming for the BBC through her production company SHE TV. She holds an MBA in sustainable management from the Presidio School of Management and a BA in Sociology and Women's Studies from Smith College.